Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

Costa Rica's holiday season comes EARLY! But for me, it doesn't start until after October 31st. Now that it is November, with Halloween a distant memory, my spirits have turned towards the holiday season.

I get so excited as Christmas draws near. Just the wonder of it all. I love all the decorations: the twinkling lights, the sparkling trees, the nativity scenes. I am in awe of everything.

As the season draws nearer, the church in the center of town builds it's stalls outside, and fills them chock full of holiday decor to sell; electric snowmen, reindeer, ornaments, wreaths, etc. Shops deck their windows with all kinds of Christmas gear and decorations go on sale. Not to mention all the toys and goodies for sale in the stores; doll houses, kitchen sets, motorized bikes and cars.

This year, more than just Christmas to look forward to, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as well. Not that I'm planning a grand feast or anything. But this year, I just feel in the mood to go a bit more festive than I have in the past. Costa Rica isn't big on Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, it's not a celebrated holiday at all. But that doesn't mean there are no celebrations. With the thousands of expatriates that live here, businesses have started to capitalize on this very American of holidays, complete with all the trimmings.

Restaurants and hotels offer Thanksgiving dinners, for a hefty price and supermarkets sell all the ingredients, including whole turkeys, to make your Thanksgiving day dinner a success.

So as I prepare myself for the season, shopping, decorating, cooking and baking, I know just how special this holiday will be.

I usually kick things off with a little Christmas music, which I have playing right now on the Internet. For T-day, I'll make some turkey crafts with the kids, as we've done in previous years.

And for me, while Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks and the food (lets not kid ourselves), Christmas brings with it a whole new meaning of being thankful and of course, lets not forget the gifts (again, lets not kid ourselves).

I get excited imagining the looks on my kid's faces Christmas morning as they open their presents. I get a thrill knowing that no matter what they get ( a lot, a little, or not much at all ) the time still has a magical meaning and they will be thankful. I just want my kids to have the wonderful memories. When I was growing up, we hardly celebrated Christmas in a big way. There wasn't much money to buy gifts or even decorations. But the season still had wonder and I remember still loving every minute of it. The Christmas memories I have from that time have always stayed with me and that is truly what I want for my kids. For them to cherish the time, the season, the family togetherness, the fun, the wonder and the magic of it all.